With instant access to huge libraries of music, iPods and now iPads have rapidly become the weapon of choice for many DJs, and Algoriddim's Djay app ($19.99 in the iTunes App Store) is built to take advantage of a number of the iPad's best features. Finding and managing music using iTunes is easy, and the iPad's big, responsive 10-inch screen has opened up a new level of possibility and usefulness for playing and playing with music. Djay is fun and easy to use, and, while it won't come close to replacing any high-end DJ equipment (or even Algoriddim's own Djay for Mac), it's a fun tool for parties, and it's one of the best music apps available on the iPad.

Getting Started and Playing Music
Djay can access all the music on your iPad, so there's no extra loading of songs in the app. Tap the music note icon with a plus sign over it, and select a songDjay takes a few seconds to analyze and load it, and the app then begins playing the song normally. The song selector screen is frustratingly small, leading to a lot of scrolling if you have a big library. Songs play through the iPad's internal speaker, through wired headphones or speakers, or via AirPlay to Apple TV or any AirPlay-ready device.

You can make a number of adjustments to the playback, all with just a couple of taps: there's a slider for the song's tempo and for relative volumes of highs, mids and lows, and you can set a cue point (the point from which you want the song to playuseful if there's a quiet or slow intro) or return to it with just a tap.

Mixing and MashingLike any good DJ setup, the app's centerpiece is a turntabletwo, actuallyand you can scratch the record by spinning it with your finger. When you scratch, the wave visualizer above the song zooms in so you can pinpoint your exact spot or cue, which makes starting songs at the perfect spot easy. Scratching with one finger produces normal scratching sounds, but if you use two fingers Djay syncs the scratch to the song's beat, which sounds much more professional.

The real fun comes once you've loaded two songs, side by side on the screen's two turntables. Once both songs are playing, you can fade between the two, change the volumes of each, sync the tempos with one tap, and mash-up songs like a real DJ. There's not a lot of granular control, and songs quickly start to sound strange when their tempos and pitches are changed, but it's a decent way to mix songs. If you find a mix that you like, there's a Record button at the top that saves your mashup to your iPad.

The simplest way to use Djay is via the Automixin my mind, the app's best feature. What it does, essentially, is load a playlist, album or library, and play it like a party DJ wouldnot with a lot of song-editing or mixing, just smooth transitions between songs and a steady stream of music. If you don't like the song, just flip the crossfade slider to the other side and it plays the next one. This alone makes Djay an excellent addition to a party: just load up a playlist on the Automix, and let it go. You'll avoid all the awkward silences and transitions of normal party music.

If you're an advanced DJ, Djay isn't the app for you: it's not easy to do things like set multiple cues or add effects, and any changes you make do have real effects on how songs soundtypically negative ones. The app also gave me a low memory warning a few times, especially after using it for a while and changing songs frequently. Closing other background apps is a must, if you want to use Djay heavily.

Djay's most useful professional-level feature is the app's Split Output mode, which allows you to split the app's audio and pre-cue songs using headphones without interrupting the sound heard by everyone else. You need a separate stereo/mono splitter for the iPad to do it, but it's a neat feature and lets you work without interrupting the party.

Djay won't replace the professional equipment DJs spend thousands of dollars buying. As a novelty and DJ-for-Dummies guide, though, it's a fun tool: the scratching and mixing never gets old, and the Automix is a terrific party companion. Plus, for $19.99, it's about the best DJ equipment you can buy.

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David Pierce is a junior analyst on the PCMag consumer electronics reviews team. He’s a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, and got his journalistic experience (and a tech itch) working with David Pogue at the New York Times and interning at Wired. When not writing and editing, you’ll find David either playing Ultimate Frisbee, extolling the virtues of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee (it''s way better than Starbucks), or avoiding doing his laundry. And probably tweeting about it allhe’s @piercedavid....
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